Attempt at Flight
by Linda-Linda
Summary: IzaKida because it needs to be done, Rated M for later chapters. I thought that running away could make a whole new story for me. But then he arrived, a ghost I thought I'd left behind. And you bring with you what I thought I could run away from.
1. His Foreboding Arrival

A/N; All right, now. I've been reading fan fiction for a while and I finally came to the conclusion that I gotta write _something._ So here, first fan fiction, not first thing I've written. Rated M for later chapters, probably. Rape, maybe some violence. Gonna be in Kida's POV because I feel like it. It's also slightly AU. Enjoy.

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I don't know how long ago it was that I left Ikebukuro. Three, four years ago? You would've thought that I counted the days I was away from my friends, but in all reality, it didn't matter to me. Counting the days would bring back the first day, and the second, the third, so on. I would remember what hell I went through the first few days away from what had become my home…

_Did I grab everything? Yeah, yeah, food, water, a coat, first-aid, what else… That picture of me, Mikado, and Anri-chan? … No, I don't need it. That's going out._

_I went through all the things in my apartment, until the last thing that was left was my yellow scarf on top of the dresser. I stared at it for a few moments. No, I couldn't flashback now, it was trash now. Useless. Terrible. I grabbed it tightly, running into the kitchen and grabbing one of the knives. I cut it into pieces, cut into tiny little pieces, and threw them out the window._

_My memories would be scattered around Ikebukuro, and I didn't really care. I watched as the pieces floated away, finally feeling freedom from what I was obviously running away from._

_Finally, I grabbed the very knife from the kitchen, putting it in a knife holster that I'd bought the day before. What lows I'd have to reach to cut someone with this, I don't know. It could be used for other things, like if I needed to protect myself._

_Why the hell couldn't I think of anything other than hurting someone else with this?_

_I scowled; shoving it in my backpack, then ran outside. I might have ran for a good five, ten minutes, until I found myself going past Simon's. Of course, he spotted me. Of course, he knew exactly what I was doing._

_His stare caused me to slow down. As I came to a halt beside him, I looked up at him, smiling. "Hello, Simon."_

_A cold, understanding gray gaze back at me made me feel a pang of guilt. "Kida, running away will not solve anything."_

_I felt a grin creep across my face. I don't want anyone to worry about me. "What are you talking about? I'm just going on a little run is all~ Simon, you're assuming the worst!" Lies. I've told plenty of them lately._

"_I know you're lying to me, Kida." _

_I flinched. What else could you expect from him? I felt a laugh, a bitter laugh, rise up and escape. "I…" I couldn't think of an excuse. "I gotta go, Simon." Before I could dash off, however, trying to run away from what was making me guilty and uncomfortable, I felt a strong hand grasp my shoulder._

"_Don't do anything you'll regret later."_

_My gaze lowered to the ground, another pang going through me. Without a word, I ran, waving a hand goodbye to the Russian. This is the second time he'd done something like this, and both times he'd made me feel terrible inside._

_I ran for a good twenty minutes, mainly stopping in alleys, until I came upon something I had to stop and observe. The Yellow Scarves. Some of the members that I didn't know by name were beating up someone, demanding to know if they were one of the Dollars. They were the exact reason why I was running away. It was them. It was Saki, who I couldn't save. It was Mikado and Anri, who I kept getting the idea that they were hiding something from me. That they were starting to separate from me into their own little world. It was everything about this fucking city. It may look like lights, glamour, and fun on the surface, but deep down it's Hell. You'll get caught up in all this shit and do the same thing as me._

_Don't ever come to Ikebukuro._

I opened my eyes. Dammit, did I fall asleep again? The dream was about that first day, too. It wasn't as bad as the second or third day, where I was just a mess. I didn't want to look back, I didn't want to reflect.

Groaning, I turned in my bed. I'd rented a hotel room, but it was practically my home. I worked for the manager doing a lot of meager duties; it kept me from having to pay rent. She was a nice, old lady, no one that would try to screw me over and kick me out. I called her "Granny", even if I knew her real name very well.

I'm just not the best at pronouncing American names.

I'd come to the USA after leaving Ikebukuro, since I had this crazy notion that it'd be better than anything Japan had to offer me. I'd learned enough English to support myself, and I was just learning every day. People seemed to love my accent, though. It was rather amusing.

How I got here is… Well, a long story. Let's just say I found a way to sneak onto a flight, and it including running all the time. Stealing. Doing shit I thought I'd never do, but got stuck doing.

I guess that's what you get stuck with when you do something like this.

I got up from the bed, knowing that in about thirty minutes I'd be expected to help guests and such. For some reason, this little town in California was a hot spot around this time of year. June. I'm guessing it's people getting let out of school, so it's mostly teenagers.

I walked over to the shower, checking the calendar as I strolled by. June 19th. I blinked, doing a double take on the calendar. Today was my birthday? Hell, I had totally forgotten about that. I walked over and checked my phone, and sure enough, my past self had bothered to bookmark it. It was my eighteenth birthday. So it was three years, not four.

"Maybe I could tell Granny, she'll cook something special, I'm sure," I sighed, then chuckled under my throat as I walked into the shower. The whole birthday thing kind of made my day a little better, the dream washing away with whatever dirt and grime I'd managed to pick up since my last shower.

Stepping out and drying myself off, I quickly shaved (since I knew that I looked terrible with any hair on my face, that was a fact) and brushed my teeth, deodorant and stuff too, then quickly slipped on a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt with sneakers, then grabbed my watch before I walked outside.

"Kida! I have a guest already, come help me!"

This early? I blinked, checking the watch. It was six A.M., why would someone be here this early? Shrugging, I walked toward the lobby, shoving my hands in my pockets. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, don't worry, Granny."

I walked into the lobby, seeing that our supposed guest was checking out brochures. We were about an hour away from LA, so I wasn't surprised. I walked over to where she was, leaning on the counter and resting my chin in my hand. "So, who's our early bird?"

She looked over at me, smiling, then handed me the registration. Often she would let me see them, since I'd been working for her for a good eight, nine months. I'd told her practically everything, and she knew I was trustworthy enough.

For some reason, my eyes wandered down to the bottom of the page before going up. The first thing that caught my eye was the signature. It was in English, but at the end had some Japanese characters. I blinked, giving a small smile. So maybe the guy was Japanese? I couldn't read the handwriting, though, but it was probably because I hadn't read Japanese in so long.

Going up the page, I started murmuring what I was reading out loud. I then got up to the basics at the top. "Male... Twenty-one… Orihara, Iza-" I cut myself off, eyes widening at the name. In clear print, there was… that name written. Orihara, Izaya. I could've thrown up right then and there at the surprise and all the emotions that swelled within me at the sight.

Why the hell was he here? What did he want in California? Wasn't Ikebukuro enough for him? I felt a growl rise up in my throat as I pushed the paper away. Obviously, he wasn't twenty-one, either. I knew he was at least twenty-two, if not twenty-three, by what Saki told me. He was still covering up his age from some reason. Right now he'd be twenty-six or twenty-five, something along those lines.

I almost crumpled up the paper, but remembering what it was, I kept myself from doing that and just gripped my shirt. Granny walked up beside me, looking at the paper. "Mister Orihara would like to hire you for showing him around the city, Kida. Don't get him lost, okay?" She laughed, patting my back.

I had to show this asshole around the city? Great, now my birthday felt like the worst day of my life.

I remained behind the counter, hair hiding my eyes, arms brought up and holding my head on the counter, staring down at it. I was hoping for a way out of what would eventually be one of the biggest downs I'd encountered on my escape.

"Ne, are you the one who's going to show me around?" That voice. It was exactly who I thought it was. I guess you can say I had that one last string of hope that someone in this world had the same name as that bastard, but that string was cut as he spoke.

I mumbled, "Yeah, I'm that guy. C'mon… Where's your stuff?" I pushed my way past him, going to where his bags were. I lifted my head up slightly to see that he'd brought at least five bags with him. I quirked a brow. What the hell did he need to bring with him?

Whatever, it's not like I cared. I grabbed the bags and started walking for the room that he'd be in, the only one open at the time. I could hear him behind me, completely quiet, which was a surprise. I was expecting some sort of obnoxious statement about who I was, but he either hadn't noticed, or had something else up his sleeve that he wanted to torment me with.

Finally getting to the room, I practically yanked the door off its hinges to get it open. "It gets stuck sometimes." That was a lie, but I couldn't let him know how much he was affecting me with his presence. I quickly set the stuff inside the room, and then let him walk into the room to look around as I attempted to escape. "Call me when you need me."

One foot out the door, I thought I'd made it out of there without getting into any conversations with the man when I felt a hand grasp my arm. It was a firm one, but he didn't pull at all. There wasn't any sort of tease or anything paired with it, so I'm assuming he wanted me to say something first. "Did you want something?"

Silence, at least, for a while. Then finally, I could practically hear him smirk. "What's wrong with a little bit of pleasant conversation?"

I scowled. That voice always made me scowl. Or feel like I wanted to punch someone again, but I had a bit more self control this time. "I… I'm busy, sorry. We can talk or whatever when I'm showing you around, is that okay?" I finally got the guts to look back at him, seeing that look that he'd always wear whenever we spoke. A smirk, paired with a slightly tilted head, curious, amused eyes, and a dominant stance like he ruled the world.

"I can wait. But show me your face, why don't you? You've been practically hiding yourself from me the whole time, I'm not that scary~"

Wait. Did he not know it was me? Or was he doing what he did best, fuck up your head and make you think things that weren't true? Ugh, I couldn't think straight. Why couldn't I just say something clever to get myself out of this? Why'd I let myself turn completely around at look at him?

Seeing Orihara that surprised amused me, just a bit. So he didn't know it was me, then? I felt my lips quirk a bit in success, but soon they were turned back down as he smirked. "Nee, looks like the dead have come back to life."

The hell? What did he mean by that? I arched a brow at him, but as I did that, he pushed me out and closed the door behind me. I practically fell over the balcony, grumbling to myself.

Okay, so now Orihara was here. With that, his comment was starting to make me suspicious. It ringed in my head, once again. "Looks like the dead have come back to life." Was that implying that he thought I was dead? Probably, something like that.

I started to walk back to my room, feeling dazed from what had just happened. I was surprised at the feeling, actually. Usually, I would be thinking a lot, grumbling, getting angry at everyone and feeling like screaming, but now I just wanted to sit down.

A ghost from my past had just come back. Why'd it have to be him? And why was he here, exactly? Was he playing dumb, did he know I was here, just to fuck with my mind?

I got to my door and leaned against it before opening it, resting my head on the cool wood. So many fucking questions. And it wasn't even seven o'clock yet.

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A/N; Hopefully that was good. Also, in note, the reasons why some of this is all happening will be revealed later, yes? A little obscurity in the first chapter never hurt anyone. Review? :D


	2. Loose Lips Sink Ships

A/N; I decided to note that I get inspiration from a lot of things, and if an idea sounds similar to someone else's and I didn't actually credit it, I probably came upon it forever ago and my mind stumbled across it in my weird thinking process. Just thought I'd put that out there, not that I'm at all worried that it'll happen, but precautions are smart, yeah?

Also, I don't know the exact point I want this to get to just yet, so.. Yeah, l-lol.

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After what seemed like an eternity of resting against the door, I finally found my hand shoved into my pocket, grasping the key and pushing it into the slot. I didn't want that asshole walking out and seeing me like this, seeing as though his room was about five rooms down from mine.

I let the cool rush of air hotel rooms always seem to give off wash over me, pushing away the hot air from outside. California didn't get too hot since we were by the ocean, but I still wasn't used to it being constant.

Walking in, I sat down at the desk and held my head in my hands. "I have to sort things out before doing anything else. Don't wanna make too many irrational decisions, I'm eighteen now, I gotta fucking get it together."

Sighing, I leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. "Orihara is here for some reason, and whatever reason that may be, I have to figure it out. That means talking to him more." I winced at saying that. I hated the guy, just because of fighting with him after the whole Saki thing, and never growing a liking back for him.

"When he comes back here, I'll just ask him as we're looking around." Pausing, I let myself mutter, "Though I doubt he'll be truthful at all. Or, rather, better term being precise. He'll be as vague as possible just to bug me, I swear." I groaned and ran a hand through my hair, hoping to calm myself down.

My mind started to race through all sorts of possibilities. Were things so bad in Ikebukuro that he moved out? No, he'd want to watch the show. Was he on vacation? Probably not, unless you consider staying here for two weeks a vacation. (I found that out on the hotel registration that he'd be here for two weeks.) He could be here for his occupation? He was an information broker, right? We were a somewhat suburb city of Los Angeles, maybe he had business there.

But if it was all for business, he would've gotten a hotel reserved in the city for himself from whatever company hired him. Unless he wanted to keep that a secret.

Maybe he got kicked out. I snorted at the idea, leaning back in the chair. "Maybe Heiwajima-san finally got sick of him and got him for something, heh." Waves of images passed through my head from the mention of the angry blonde.

Watching them fight, being there on the sidelines, amused by Orihara getting hurt, showing Mikado their fi-I cut myself off with the thinking, finding my thoughts to be extremely saddening and nostalgic. No, I couldn't get all sad and shit around Orihara; he'd probably assume it was from his doing.

I was about to lean forward in the chair and get up to stretch when I heard the door knock rather loudly. I fell back from shock, landing on my back and getting a few bruises from the jutting spots in the chair. While groaning, I shifted so I could get up, rubbing my lower back. "Owww…" I frowned at the chair and pushed it back up, about over to the door when it knocked again.

"I'm coming, jeez, hold on." It was either Granny or Orihara behind that door, and whoever it was, they just hurt my back.

I opened the door to look up and see the brownish red eyes of the informant staring back down at me, a smirk across his face. This is when I first noted his appearance. Instead of the trademark v-neck, fur coat and black pants, he was wearing more American style clothing. I faintly quirked a brow at that, then realized that maybe his old, black, dark clothing would be difficult wear in sunny California.

"I thought you fell asleep on me, Kida-kun."

I felt myself roll my eyes. "No, I was just doing something." I realized I had been looking at him directly for a bit too long for comfort, so I shrugged past him so he wouldn't be in my line of vision. I despised him that much. Not enough to grab the nearest vending machine and throw it at him, though. "What'd you wanna do?"

I heard him snigger quietly behind me, coming up and wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I winced at the touch, but noticing Granny walk by with some towels, I decided not to slap it off like my first reaction was to. "Ne, isn't it _your_ job to show me around?"

"Guess I should ask what is it that you wanna see? Be vague as much as you want, since obviously you don't have enough proper knowledge to work from specifics."

"Let's go to the arcade by the coffee shop~"

Okay, that was specific. At this point, I had shrugged off his arm, walking a bit faster. The notion of going to an arcade completely took me by surprise, though. I knew that Orihara was fucked in the head, but him saying something childish like that- I cut myself off, rubbing my forehead.

_I'm thinking too deeply about things, the answer could be flying right past me and I'll ignore it. He could just really wanna go to an arcade. Though it's a bit weird, I'll keep from questioning it._

I let a sigh escape before I glanced up at him, lacing it with a bit of a glare. "Fine, whatever. Don't expect me to play with you."

"Aww, why are you such a downer, Kida-kun? Ne, are you afraid to get butt hurt from losing to me~?"

I felt a small growl rise in my throat. No, he couldn't raise my competitive edge, but it was a bit too much to hold back. I scoffed, crossing my arms and staring up. "Tch, I'm younger than you, I'd be able to beat you easy."

I could, once again, practically hear the grin pull at his skin to stretch across his face. We started to walk, as things had gotten extremely quiet. He was walking beside me, hands in his pockets while looking around. I looked in the other direction, then something that had been at the corner of my mind decided to show its face. "So you speak English too, then?"

Orihara stared at me like I was insane before chuckling. "Of course, most everyone can. Though not as fluently as others." We kept walking, but now my interest in that had spiked a bit, just at least something to get my mind off of the other things I wanted to ask of him.

"What other languages do you know besides Japanese and English?"

"Ah? Let's see… At least a bit of Russian, Chinese…" He started going off into different languages, the whole time I just stared at him in surprise. He had a lot of time on his hands, didn't he? I'm guessing that being an informant gave you a lot of down time considering it's not a particularly action packed job.

After he finished, he laughed, looking over at me. "That question seemed to come out of nowhere." I scowled faintly at his amused look.

"It was just on my mind after seeing you in the lobby is all. C'mon, we're here."

I pushed the door open, not bothering to hold it open for the older informant. It was one of those arcades for older adults, as in you couldn't go in if you were under eighteen, and they sold alcohol, but only at night. I thought playing around little kids would get pretty annoying, so he obviously had the same thought process as me.

Immediately, I felt his hand wrap around my wrist as he pulled me over to one of the games. It was a zombie shooting game, with okay graphics and your usual plastic and colorful guns. I felt my brow quirk up slightly at his first choice of playing it. "So you like zombies?"

Of course, no response. Orihara seemed to be silent, which was unlike him. From what I knew, I didn't actually have that many memories concerning the information broker that were informative, most of them just bad memories of him ranting at me concerning Saki or that moment in the hospital.

My thought process took a turn for a worse, but the sound of what sounded like bullets meeting flesh shocked me back into life. The game had started. Apparently it was like a first-person shooter, and you had to lean forward to walk forward, and dodging was done by leaning. Jumping by jumping, ducking by simply ducking. It was pretty cool to me, actually.

We spent a good four dollars on the machine, with each game being a dollar. The first game I won, the second he won, and then it was a tie on the third game. As we put in the dollar to start the fourth game, he looked over at me and smirked. "How about we make this fourth and final game more important, ne, Kida-kun?"

Blinking, I stared over at him. "What're you suggesting?"

"Whoever loses has to buy the other a pizza and soda~" I found myself sniggering under my breath at the suggestion, but decided to go along with it. The game went on, and I found myself thinking again. Why exactly was he acting so… nonchalant about everything?

_Wait, didn't I __**just**__ lecture myself on thinking too hard?_ I groaned while shooting two zombies in the head, making sure none were at my feet. Er, my game-verse feet. _It's still weird, though. I dunno. I could ask him but I'm not expecting anything I wanna hear._ I let myself look over at him, and then noticed he was staring right at me.

We exchanged a stare that seemed to last for a bit, but then I saw him pull the trigger on his gun, shooting a pair of zombies that had apparently approached us. I heard the music of someone dying emitting from the game as I swiveled my head to see. I'd died. "What?" Oh, of course. He did that just to make me lose.

I felt my eyes slowly travel back to him, where he was grinning a childish little victory grin. "I hate you." With that, he just laughed. Damn him and his lack of any feelings whatsoever.

"Now Kida-kun has to buy me food. I'll go play more games and you go do that~"

I waved a hand and walked over to the restaurant in the arcade. Why the hell did he staring at me get me to lose concentration like that? I was just taken surprise, I guess. Still, the whole thing bothered me. I grumbled under my breath, and then realized I had no idea what kind of pizza he wanted. Everyone likes pepperoni, right?

"One piece of pizza and a…" Crap, again, he didn't say what kind of pop. "…Mountain Dew." Once again, playing the kind everyone likes. Leaning against the counter, I looked back to where he was playing this racing game. Obviously he'd want to challenge me again, unless he did that one time just to mooch food from me.

My mind had a habit of going into a deeper thought process whenever I was sitting around, so I found my paranoid self go back to thinking of why he'd be here. Of course, the thought of him being here just so he could mess with Americans didn't ever leave my head, and his surprised face seeing me didn't ever, either. He obviously wasn't here primarily for me, so what exactly had he come here for?

I felt myself space out, the flashing lights from games and some of the strobe and colorful lights on the ceiling blurring together, the American music playing starting to morph into just beats in my skull.

It was after what seemed like half an hour that something started to crack me out of my spaced out shell. It was someone yelling. I blinked, finally regaining focus, hearing someone yelling, "Sir!"

I turned around, seeing that it was the person I ordered from. He looked rather annoyed, standing there with the pizza and soda. "Are you sure you're all right? I had to yell for a minute to get you to look at me."

A smile, albeit a fake one, spread across my face. "Nah, I was just thinking. Thank you." I grabbed the food from his hands, walking over to a table and setting it down.

After leaving, I had a habit of spacing out sometimes, like I was one of those war veterans that spaced back to the war. However, images never really appeared in my vision. At least, not anymore. When I first got them, it was constantly images of the hospital, of my friends, blood just spattering everywhere, me putting myself in Saki's place and getting beat by the Blue Squares.

Now, it was just blank. Like I had lost everything and now I had nothing left to be afraid of. I had nothing to be happy for, either. I was just living, but I really felt dead internally. I had so many dreams as a kid, wants, and goals. Now I'd just thrown those away for my own selfish wants of safety, as I would be stuck in helping Granny out with the hotel for the rest of my life, I thought.

I didn't want that, though. But what else could I do?

Once again, I had spaced out, only coming back to reality after feeling a certain someone come up behind me. "You should've told me you got the food, it could be cold by now!" I grimaced slightly, sitting down across from him as he sat down. A smirk was still across his face, however. That damn thing never went away, it seemed.

He started to eat, leaving me to rest my chin in my palm and stare off. "You having fun?"

Between bites, he said, "I'd have more fun if Kida-kun joined me~"

I glared back over to him. "I'm not into playing arcade games unless they have hot chicks involved, and you're better than me, so what would the point be?" The hot girls comment slipped out and I found myself grinning as I said it, though the grimace started to appear after continuing.

"I just want you to have fun is all, you looking all bored and upset ruins my mood."

Rolling my eyes, I stretched before looking back over to him. "Fine, whatever. Don't cheat again."

I knew this was coming, him tilting his head back and laughing loudly. "Ne, ne~ I wasn't cheating, I was just looking at you. You were the one who couldn't tear your eyes away from mine!"

I felt a faint flush of embarrassment go across my cheeks as I stood up, slamming my hands on the table. "You wouldn't stop staring! I was trying to figure out what was up and I space out often, okay?"

"That flush looks cute on you, Kida-kun~" Another deep grimace set across my face. "Sit down, now."

Blinking at the command, I did as I was told, watching him push the plate to the side and resting his chin on his palm. "There's a reason why I asked to go here, actually. No one can eavesdrop here easily."

I found my brow furrowing in confusion at his statement. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"I wanted to tell you about what has happened with Ikebukuro, Kida-kun."

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A/N; Now I think I know where to take this, but now I think it'll be more action-packed than I expected. Oh well. I like action. ;D As in, not sexual action. But action-action. The sexual part's coming soon, trust me. Review and shit for me, 'kay?

'Cause that would make you awesome. And stuff.


	3. Lies Lurk in Kisses

A/N; I have no idea what to put here, but I like talking, sooo. I have a feeling this'll exceed ten chapters since I've started to make this into a lot more than what I planned on. Oh well. Just stick with it and you'll be happy, y/y? :D

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"_I wanted to tell you about what happened in Ikebukuro, Kida-kun."_

I stared at him for a few moments, unsure of what to make of what he just said. What happened in Ikebukuro? What exactly _did_ happen? The lighter atmosphere I'd felt for the time being had quickly diminished, replaced with something similar to a nostalgic wave of confusion.

Narrowing my eyes slightly, I shifted in my seat. "Exactly what would that be?"

Orihara tapped his chin and gave a exaggerated pondering look. "Ne, I said I wanted to, not that I would~ Maybe Kida-kun has to do a favor for me to get the information?" A devious smirk pulled at the corner of his lips. "I'm an information broker, do you expect me to tell you things for free?"

There it was. The man, the bastard who pissed me off beyond all reason. So fucking difficult. I was reminded of my sour outlook at him, how his presence could affect me so much, and how he probably enjoyed every second of my self-torture.

Groaning, I felt my lip raise slightly in anger. "You can't just tell me? Jesus Christ, what's wrong with letting a bit of information out without giving it a price tag, huh?" I found my voice raising. Suddenly, that pull of my mind into some altered state hit me again.

The lights blurred, the music started to get deeper, and everything started pulsating. It felt as though someone was taking a hammer and pounding the back of my head in. Taking a screw and making a hole in the center of my forehead. Images from the hospital flashed in front of me.

Hospital beds. The smell. Sick people. Curtains. Windows. _Beep. _Heart monitors. Her smile. _Beep. _The echo of space. _Beep. Beep. _Punching. That smirk. Yellow. _Beep, beep, beep, beep._ Flatline. _Beep._

Suddenly, I flashed back to reality. My heart rate had heightened, and I found that it was at the same beat as the beeping. I don't know how long that one lasted, but if people were staring at me, it must've been for a while.

And they did. I looked around, seeing that everyone was indeed staring directly at me. Feeling my fists tighten in frustration, I released them and grabbed Orihara's wrist and pulled him up and toward the door. He wasn't fighting me, and I knew that he was probably smirking in amusement at my suffering again.

That fucking sadist.

Finally getting out of the arcade, I let him go and walked toward the edge of the sidewalk, rubbing my forehead. These were happening more often, usually they'd happen only about once a week. Now this is the second time in the same day.

I let my hand rest against a street pole, trying to steady myself and clear my mind. I knew he was behind me, but I refused to look at him. It might happen again. I'm scared.

"What's up with you, Kida-kun?"

I'm going insane. I want you to leave me alone. I want you to go back to Ikebukuro and leave me alone.

"Were you sick of playing games, hmm?"

Yes, I was sick of playing games _with you._ Shut the fuck up.

I let my fingernails scrape against the metal before straightening myself, finally finding the courage of turning my head to stare at him. He was standing nearby with his arms crossed, an amused yet curious look on his face. We exchanged a stare for a few moments before I sighed, shutting my eyes and stretching.

"Sure, sure. Whatever. What do you wanna do now?"

Orihara blinked, then started to walk without me, tilting his head a bit. I quirked a brow at him walking off, but I finally started to follow him, albeit a good distance.

"Actually, nothing else today. I have some work to take care of~" Work? Wasn't he on vacation? I stared at him suspiciously, but I knew he wouldn't expand on what he just said.

Quickening my pace so I was next to him, I shoved my hands in my pocket. "Great, I canceled all my plans today to show you around, but you're done in a few hours."

"You could help me? Or "pay" me so you can get that information?"

My eyes flickered over to his. He was staring down at me, waiting for a response. Pay him? With what, money? I decided to ask. "What exactly do you want me to pay you with?"

His mouth quirked into a smirk. "Use your head, Kida-kun~" He rose a hand and I was suspecting some sort of either push or something similar to that in nature, but instead he ruffled my hair. Blinking in surprise, I couldn't say anything. He had already walked off toward his hotel room.

Why'd it feel so weird when he touched me? Like he was made of ice, he made me shiver. Letting my mind ponder that, I walked over to my room, pushing the door open and collapsing on my bed. The remote was on the stand beside my bed, so I decided to get lost in fictional character's dramas to distract me from my own.

During this break, I sat up and hugged the pillow next to me, staring at the TV, very vulnerable to anything that decided to surprise me. Finally my mind had left it's abyss and I was submersed in brainless activity.

I pretty much watched TV for the rest of the day, getting something to drink and eat around four o'clock, and cleaning up one room which didn't take much effort since this person seemed to be kind enough to not leave a mess.

It seemed as though I was only back at my room for a few moments when I heard the door open. Had I left it open? I scowled faintly at my mistake, but pushed it aside and turned around. Of course, standing there was the asshole informant.

"Hello, hello~ I finished work."

"This should matter to me why?"

A grin spread across Orihara's face. "Because now you can pay me for the information~!"

I grimaced at him, keeping a comfortable distance so he wasn't overbearing. "How much?"

The grin on his face twisted into a fake pout as he crossed his arms. "Ne, I was hoping Kida-kun would come up with something other than monetary things. Use your creativity!" He walked forward and rose two fingers, poking my forehead hard.

A glare set over my stare at him as I rubbed the spot he poked. "I don't know what you want, so don't expect me to be much of a creative mind when it comes to this sort of thing."

The informant shrugged, then started to walk around my room. "There's a lot of things~ Favors, etcetera. You could help me with work, but that's boring." He paused while looking in the mirror next to my TV, looking over at me with a devious look on his face. "It depends on how much you want the information and what you want."

I blinked, then sat down on my bed. "That depends on what information you have."

"I could tell you how Ryuugamine-kun and that Sonohara girl are going, what has happened with the Yellow Scarves, a lot of things. I know you've been thinking about them, and I know how far you would go to get what I have only a few centimeters in my skull, locked forever from you unless you do something for me~"

All of those hit a part of me, like a pressure point on my heart. Mikado. Stab, one pressure point. I felt my knees weaken slightly. Anri. Stab, another. I gulped, trying to keep down a yell of emotion. Yellow Scarves. Stab, stab, stab, stab. So many, I almost found myself screaming.

I was left shaking from what effect those words had on me, unable to form any words. After what seemed like forever, I was able to blurt out, "I'll do anything." Fists twisting, I found my nails digging into my palm so much that I thought I'd start bleeding.

I figured he'd do something sinister, like make me do whatever he wanted for a day, or, dear god, blow him off.

I was about to look up at him when I felt him get closer, arms on either side of me with the elbows pinned above my shoulders, his face inches from mine. Instinctively, I tried to shove him away, but he moved his body closer instead.

What the hell was he trying to pull? Was this some sort of game, to see me get flustered from this close space? Wait…I internally groaned, almost hitting my head against the wall. I was getting flustered from his closeness? Why was I, even?

Obviously, the distress showed in my eyes, because I watched as a delighted smirk appeared on his face. "Is Kida-kun bothered~?" I had to keep from kneeing him right there, I had a feeling this is what I had to do to pay him back for the information he'd give me. So I stood there, blank, staring at him while trying to hide all emotion.

This didn't work as well as I planned, especially after he started leaning even closer, if it was at all possible. Our foreheads were touching, and his lips were just an inch away from mine, I could smell his breath. Somewhat minty. Obviously from chewing gum.

I then found myself, finally, gazing up to his eyes. For the time being I had concentrated on his upper cheek, since looking him in the eyes was rather unnerving. Now, doing it, I couldn't tear myself away. They were brown, but also, in the light, seemed to be a rust red color. Mine always had been a brownish-amber, the lighting changes never really affecting them. I was struck by his, however.

Wait, why am I describing his eyes like that? Once again, internally groaning. I sound like a lovestruck teenage school girl.

Silence. For at least five minutes, if not longer. It annoyed me. He wanted something, why couldn't he just be clear with me?

"You're so impatient." I heard him chuckle, once again retaining focus to his face. "With what I'm going to do while I'm here, I won't be paid fully. You'll have to pay it back slowly." I was about to speak, obviously disapproving of this, when he continued. "Ne, ne, impatient! Don't worry, this is very much worth it. For now, I'll take what I want."

Wait, so…what _exactly_ was he gonna take? I thought with that, he'd move away from me, grab something, then leave the room with some trollish comment. Instead, he leaned forward, pressing his lips against mine for a few seconds.

I felt my eyes widen at the touch and my breath hitch in my throat. However, I wasn't thinking anything. Pure shock went through me, then confusion, then hatred at myself for not doing anything to stop it.

Then that ice feeling I got from him went through me. Like ice cold stabs on my lips that felt not at all bad, this time, however, I'd describe it as a warming feeling. Similar to taking a blanket next to a heater and pressing it to your face. Except, like ice, it went in stabs, but it was pleasant. Once he tore away, my body wanted to lean forward and keep it going because of how it felt, but I held myself back in extreme want not to look like an idiot.

In fact, I already felt like one, for liking it. It was fucking Orihara, why did I like some sort of thing like _that _from him? Once again, my face held all emotion, as I saw him smirk as he pulled away. "Kida-kun looks cute all flustered~" Shit, did I really?

To rid him of that smirk, I rose a hand and rubbed it over my lips, then my face, trying to somehow rub off the red that'd started from my cheeks. "G-Get the hell out, you asshole."

I heard a simple little 'hm' from him before he left, waving as the door shut behind him.

Watching as he left, I was appalled by all the things that had happened in those few seconds.

Then again, a lot of things that happen to me seem to happen within a few moments. It seems as though that's how it is with everything. Movies portray moments important to the plot to be minutes long, when in fact, they are only a few seconds worth in real life.

Take it, for example, a falling scene. Those are more likely than not in slow motion, and movements seemed to be very controlled and instinctive. However, in real life, you'd have a split millisecond to react to your best friend falling off the edge of the building. Do you really think you'd be able to do it?

I sighed and sat down on the bed, running a hand through my hair and staring at the ground. He was messing with my head again, making me space out more and more, making me feel all these weird things. I fell back in the bed while curling up next to one of the pillows.

Suddenly, my mind flashed back to that moment. His lips on mine. Those emotions. They swirled around in my head, like a blender, as if someone took fireflies and put them in a room with only me inside, and they started to dance around my vision. Those fireflies kept on dancing, dancing…

Flash. Dead. Flash. They're dying. Gone. The fireflies are gone. Empty. Dark. The room is empty and dark.

Blood. Scream. I see blood and I scream. Shatter. Glass. The windows are shattering. Yellow. Yellow. Yellow.

I have now started to slip into madness.


	4. To Die For

A/N; I am _so_ sorry for taking forever to update this. D: I had mid-terms and I lost my creative muse for a bit, but now it's back with this snow day. Fun fact of the day, I write most of my chapters within a day. ;; So excuse any sort of .. rushed feeling they might have, I'm just afraid of losing my muse.

* * *

I don't like the feeling of falling. Especially if it's endless. Constantly dropping to whatever meets you at the end, and who knows what that could be? Optimists would think of the end of being pillows to cushion your fall, and pessimists would think of the end of being spikes to penetrate your body and kill you. Since I've never actually classified myself into any of that, I believe it's something of a black hole; there's no end. You're eventually suspended, free-fall, still scared out of your wits.

Dreams that get you to that point are the worst. Along with running dreams. You know, the ones that have you running away from something, and you just can't seem to give it your all to get away. I've heard that these dreams mean you're running away from something in your real life, and I have to say that I fully agree with that.

I say this because I had one of those dreams last night. Now I'm sitting here, it's five in the morning, and I can't go back to sleep because I'm afraid I'll start falling and running again.

Izaya keeps running through my head. It's starting to bug the shit out of me, he shouldn't be on my mind so much, and he shouldn't even _matter._ Yet, I can't stop thinking about him. I feel like some stupid goddamn love struck high school girl that I used to talk about constantly.

Funny, I'd always assume that girls thought that way about me. Guess things sort of go around in a cycle, those feelings are coming back to me full force.

Time passed slowly, with me slipping in and out of consciousness. I didn't dream (thankfully) but I'd hear things as I woke up and fell asleep. Mostly background noise, things like people murmuring and me not able to hear what they were saying. It was frustrating. I wanted to hear them, but they were too far away, or my surroundings were too loud for me to hear.

Shut up. Just shut up.

Shut up.

Shut up.

Shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up shut up.

* * *

_BRIIIIINNNNG! BRIIIIINNNNG! BRIIIIINNNNG!_

"Jesus…Christ…Shut up." I brought my hand to practically smash my alarm clock. I wondered how long it'd been going; since my dreams consisted of this constant background ringing that annoyed the shit out of me.

It was 8 in the morning. Groaning with frustration, I got up, still wearing the clothes I'd slipped on yesterday. "Goddammit." Quickly, I slipped off my bed, shed the clothes I'd been wearing for a while and stepped into the shower for a quick pick-me-up. My mind went blank for the time being, I suppose it was that I wanted to enter a state of mental rest.

So the next time anything went through my head was when I was walking down the hall, wearing a simple gray v-neck and jeans, yawning. "It's a nice day out today, doesn't look like it'll rain." A small smile spread across my face, the first one in a while, as I leaned against the balcony and sighed. I needed this. A little relaxing time. "I heard it's supposed to be nice for the rest of the week, too. I wonder if I could take a trip down to the beach and look at all the hot girls there~!" I sniggered quietly, the smile widening.

I missed being able to think about pointless things like this. But it was nice. I stared at the ground for a bit, the ground below the balcony, thinking about various memories. Visiting that higher point in Ikebukuro with Mikado and Anri, where we'd all drape ourselves on the balcony and just talk about random, pointless things. I'd try to motivate Mikado to make a move on our spectacled friend while she would just blush.

Thinking about memories made my smile fade, but I didn't feel any negative emotions like usual. Just a big hit of nostalgia. I fumbled my fingers, trying to think of what we'd have to do today. Izaya and I. Wait, where exactly was that monster?

"Hello, Kida-kun!"

Speak of the devil. I intentionally wiped the smile from my face as I looked into the direction I heard his voice come from. He was standing there, surprisingly wearing something similar to what I was wearing. I gave a strange look at him before getting up, shoving my hands into my pockets, staring at him. "Yo."

I watched his eyes travel up and down my body with slight surprise, a smirk appearing on his lips as he did so. "Ne, Kida-kun, we look—"

"—like clones of each other." I stared at him blankly, obviously finishing correctly what he was going to say. He looked at me with a bit of surprise on his face before approaching me and wrapping an arm around my shoulder, pulling me toward the stairs.

"I never thought we'd get so acquainted as to you being able to finish my sentences. Cute~" I rolled my eyes, but didn't make a move to shrug him off. The ice feeling, once again, came from his touches, this time a bit more subtle, but nonetheless it showed itself.

It was quiet until we got down to the boardwalk by the beach. He sat down at a bench, but didn't motion me to sit down next to him, so I just stood, looking off toward the sea. My thoughts went back to the night before.

"_With what I'm going to do while I'm here, I won't be paid fully. You'll have to pay it back slowly._"

"_Ne, ne, impatient! Don't worry; this is very much worth it. For now, I'll take what I want__._"

So I had to pay him back, but how? I closed my eyes following taking a deep breath, trying to think. Right after he said this, he…kissed me, so am I supposed to assume that he wants more of something like that? It seemed almost on queue that he said, "Tonight, you're going to do another task to pay me back, Kida-kun."

My eyes immediately flickered open and looked over to him in slight surprise, but mostly curiousness. "What the hell do I have to do, then?"

He shrugged, smirking. "Once I think of it, I'll tell you~" I scowled at him saying that before pulling at my hair.

"Idiot, you have to decide, I wanna know what I'm dealing with!"

That bastard obviously was getting a bit from this, his smirk widening as he got up and set a hand on my shoulder, the other circling in the air. "You're so impatient! You'll see, you'll see~ Try to handle your excitement, though. I don't want you jumping off the walls in happiness."

I never knew that the informant was able to manage sarcasm, but apparently, he was. I just quirked a brow at him, but he didn't say anything in addition. This was followed by an almost unbearable awkward silence, until he started off in another direction without any sort of warning.

"You can go do whatever during the day; I need to do some work. Just be ready by seven, alright~? I'll see you later, Kida-kun."

I stared after him, a bit surprised that he was letting me to do whatever, but also a bit relieved. What was he planning for that time, though? Seven o'clock? Something obviously during the night, so I'm assuming…Something…you do only at night?

Yeah, I had no idea. Great. So fucking great.

Free time was always fun, though. And Granny gave me time off to do whatever Izaya wanted me to do, so I technically was free to anything, now.

Guess it's time for me to take advantage of the beach idea, yeah? "How long has it been since I went swimming, I might have forgotten how to in all this time." I felt a laugh trickle out as I headed back for the hotel, which was, thankfully, only about a two minute walk from the beach.

I jogged up to my room to grab my swimming trunks, quickly slipping them on. Before heading out, I paused, trying to think of how to manage my day. Most people wouldn't be there until the afternoon, which was in about four hours. So I had that time to spare, since I didn't want to be there alone.

Standing awkwardly in front of my door in a pair of trunks was a bit strange, but I decided on heading back in and just relaxing, maybe watch some movies, or read or something, things that I never had time to do due to Granny or Izaya keeping me busy.

"I wonder if there's even anything on. Most people would be at work or doing something right now, right? Guess if you keep in mind the high-schoolers who don't have school during the summer. Maybe a nap, I didn't get much sleep last night."

I found myself rambling while bringing some covers up, turning the channel to MTV in hopes of it having something interesting on. It did; some sort of American show. Not sure what to think of it, so I'll keep any comments about it out of context.

I did find myself sleeping, though. Just a little nap, since I woke up about two hours later. I did dream a bit, but it wasn't anything bad. Actually, it…

_I was around six or seven years old. I was with Mikado, walking home from our old school. "Heeey, Mikado-kun~!" I ran toward him, tackling him over and hugging him tightly._

_"M-Masaomi, hello." I grinned at him as I pulled him up to sit comfortably, since I'd kind of tackled him into the mud. I leaned back, the grin still on my face._

_"Ne, can I ask you something?" He looked at me with slight surprise before helping me up. I took that as a sign to continue. "Will we always be friends, Mikado-kun?"_

_"Of course!" I saw the confusion go across his face at my question, but I guess I'd asked it in pure curiousness at a young age. I didn't think I'd worry about that when I was a child. "I like you too much to not be friends with you, a-and that would be terrible if we were ever apart…"_

_I giggled and hugged him. "You don't need to take me so seriously! C'mon, let's go home, I bet your mom made something delicious again~"_

My eyes flickered open. What Mikado said, it…it kept playing in my head. I knew this was a memory, not a dream. How wrong was he, thinking we'd always be together? I felt a bit of a disheartening break go through me, even so, I pushed myself off the bed and checked the clock. 1 pm. Alright, looks like it's time for me to head down to the beach.

I wanted to clear the dream from my head.

Time passed, I went down to the beach and talked to a lot of girls – got about three numbers – and played around in the ocean. It was my third time in the ocean, so I wasn't particularly used to its effects yet. I took a break in the middle of it to head up to the docks, mostly to watch some people fishing. More for tanning, since yes, I was still an Asian and I wasn't at all tan. Once it hit around five o'clock, I decided to quick run back to the hotel room.

The reason I'm not being so detailed with this is because, in all reality, not much happened. It was for blind enjoyment, there wasn't any drama or anything in particular that I had to worry about, which was pretty nice in terms to how my last few days have been.

I took another shower to get rid of the feeling of salt water, and got some lotion on to help my sunburns that I got over the course of the time. I decided to slip on a short-sleeved jacket over the v-neck that I wore earlier, and then sat down on the bed to wait for Izaya to appear again. It was only six thirty, but I had no interest in doing anything else.

It seemed almost on cue, again, that I heard a knock on the door and a voice ring out. "Heey, Kida-kun~ You better not be sleeping again." I groaned, loud enough for him to hear. "Ooh, obviously not."

I slugged over to the door, opening it quickly to see him about to knock again. "I'm awake, asshole."

He quirked a brow at me but said nothing, just simply grabbed my wrist and started pulling me out of the hotel grounds. "Ne, you're really sour today~"

Of course I'm sour, you piss me off.

Once again, our walk was silent, until we arrived at this strip of restaurants. So wait, he just wanted to go out and eat? I stared at him with an instigating look, hoping that he'd reveal his intentions.

"You're looking me like I have some secret reason for bringing you here. I just want to eat, jeez."

I rolled my eyes, obviously not believing him, but going along with it as much as I could. We stepped inside what looked like an Italian restaurant, getting a table for two. I sat down, looking around before feeling something on my hand. I looked to see his hand gripping mine, which was obviously causing a few looks. I scowled and shook it off, glaring at him.

I watched as a pout slipped across his face, but he said nothing. Because I would never make an attempt to talk to the informant, there wasn't any conversation between us until after we were done eating and everything. Without any words, he quietly slipped me a piece of paper, looking at me expectantly. I stared at him back until finding the courage to open it.

"If this is one of those fucking romantic passing notes thingies, I'm shoving this in your face."

He just gave me a look telling me to open it, so I did.

_Dear Masaomi,_

_It's Mikado. I gave this letter to Izaya-san in hopes that if he ever saw you, he'd deliver it to you. I have something important I need to tell you._

_The Yellow Scarves have rebuilt themselves; not only in Ikebukuro, but their forces have traveled to outside Tokyo, all across Japan, and even in parts of America. I have enclosed a list of cities that they have rebuilt themselves in._

_Also, I have somehow found myself becoming the general of the Blue Squares. They're still biased from your ruling to be against the Blue Squares, and now they're appearing everywhere as well. You can say that this world is starting to slip into the conflict that was never supposed to leave Ikebukuro._

_I'm going to ask you to do something that could put you in danger, but we need it done. I want you to stop the Yellow Scarves, to go out and claim the general position once again, and stop them from doing this. I'll do this as well. People are losing their lives over this, Masaomi. We need to stop this._

_This is all in hope that you're still alive, too. If you aren't, then I'll have Izaya-san contact me back with that information._

_Please, be careful._

_ Sincerely, Ryuugamine Mikado._

I looked on the back, to the list. There was the city that we were located in, and underneath it, a note.

_"This town is the central hub of gang wars in America. Most if not all of the town is overtaken by it._"

I found myself glancing up to the surroundings in the restaurant. Suddenly, things started becoming apparent that I'd shrugged off before.

Yellow.

Blue.

Everyone was wearing one or the other.


	5. Kindle Fire With Snow

I could only stare at the note after reading it over and over again, my eyes seeming to stick like glue to the name at the bottom of the parchment.

Mikado.

I could feel it again. That feeling when my mind seems to separate, when I start getting dizzy, when I swear I'm starting to slip again. The remnants of the alfredo I had were starting to turn a strange blue color, along with everything else turning blue. The Blue Squares. Blue. It was no longer yellow, it was blue; a bright, gleaming, dangerous blue.

Then the dizzy feeling. It hit like a wave, but I was expecting it; with it, I shot up from my seat and ran to the bathrooms, them luckily being placed only feet away from our table. I ran into the end stall and threw up in the toilet. The things I had recently eaten were now being flushed down as I sat down next to the toilet for a few moments, trying to get my bearings back together.

The dizziness hadn't gone away, but I didn't feel sick to my stomach. Slowly, surely, with the support of the bars installed for handicapped people, I got up to my feet while holding my head. "Mi…kado…"

My vision was wavering like I was on a boat. Like I was on a boat in the middle of a hurricane, everything was swaying and I felt as though I couldn't stand up straight and rigid without being knocked over. I was tossed forward by the ship, grabbing onto the handle of the stall and throwing it open, letting it bring me with it.

The door slammed me against the counter, almost making me hit my head on the sink as I bent over it, trying to regain balance. The ship had calmed for now, so I was able to lift my head and look in the mirror. That was a bad idea. I watched as my usual image that I would look to every day in the mirror started to distort, my reflection turning into something of a true horror as I watched as red, blue, and yellow splattered my background.

I swear I was about to throw up in the sink when I realized I had filled it up with water. So instead of doing that, I was met face-first with a sink full of cold water. I immediately felt my senses come back to me as I threw my head back, my hair dripping wet and my shirt a dark grey around my neck. "Wh-What?" Staring at my reflection, I'd realized that all of that had been illusionary - of course it was, that wasn't real, mirrors couldn't do that.

I walked over to the paper towels when I heard someone open the door and walk in. I turned around, the paper towel still on my face, when I saw the informant looking at me with a curious smirk spread across his face. Groaning internally, I finished drying off what I could before looking to him.

Things were quiet. He just grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the restaurant. I assume he went to pay for our food. It was quiet on the way back to the hotel, at least, until we got to his room.

"Kida-kun, let's go to your room for now, I want to make sure you don't throw up all over your sheets~"

"Aren't you being unusually kind?"

"I worry about that old lady, she'd have to clean up your disgusting mess!"

"Shut up."

We walked in, and he closed the door behind us while I walked over and decided to shed my wet shirt; it still hadn't dried off. While doing so, I was in the middle of slipping on a simple tank when I heard the informant's voice from the other side of the bathroom door. "I'm surprised you haven't asked me about that letter yet. Isn't it bothering you?"

I looked at the door, and when leaning against it, I realized he had done the same. So I just did so as well, hand resting on the door knob just in case he decided to pick it and open it on me. "It was addressed to me from Mikado, I'm not going to involve you, idiot." I _wanted_ to ask him, but I didn't want him thinking I'd come to him again for help.

"Are you still sick?"

Sighing, I leaned my head back against the door, thinking for a moment. "…I should be fine for the time being."

"Good~!" I was about to ask what he needed to know that for when the door did indeed open on me, and he pushed me against the tiled side of the bathroom. His arms had once again found themselves pinned beside my head, his hands holding my wrists this time, however. A smirk was spread clear across his face as he looked down at me.

Immediately, I felt the awkward flustered behavior start to rise again that I had before, and I gave a small scowl while twisting my wrists. "L-Let me go, bastard!"

"This is another form of your payment~ Though this time…" He leaned in, resting his forehead against mine and staring directly into my eyes. I felt my heart skip. "…I think we might get much farther~" A pang of realization went through me as he said that, and before I could even reject or tell him off for it, he pressed his lips against mine forcefully.

I realized at that moment why my heart had skipped a beat when he stared at me. In his eyes was just this lust, this wanting, and I was a weird mixture of afraid and excited. Why was I excited? Goddammit, Kida, get it together!

I closed my hands into fists, once again trying to pull them against his grasp, before he slammed them on the wall again while pulling away and giving a small glare at me. "You either pay for it this way or I can just take off your hand and receive that as payment." He was serious. My eyes widened, but I said nothing, only feeling a strong wave of uselessness as he kissed me again.

This time, he was able to force my mouth open, and quickly I felt his tongue slip in. I felt myself give a small mewl of surprise as he did that, and a chuckle rose from his throat as he pulled away. "You're adorable, Kida-kun~" The heat that had risen to my face intensified as he said that.

"…Sh-Shut up."

"Gladly." With that, he pulled one arm away from my wrist, the other one still gripping my other one. He set me on the bed lightly (thankfully, I was expecting more force than this) and grabbed my other wrist, bringing it up and gripping them both tightly. He was straddling me, and feeling him on me like this, I felt even more heat go through my body.

It didn't help that every touch of his was that stinging yet wonderful sensation as he slipped off my tank, hand resting around one of my nipples and squeezing lightly as he went in for another deep kiss. He'd let my wrists go, and knowing that if I did anything to piss him off, he would take upon his threat. So I left them there, gripping the bottom of the pillow tightly.

Orihara pulled away, smirking, then he slid his hands down from my torso to the pants on my waist, one hand going to unbutton the top while the other one rested on my waist. He lowered his head and kissed down from my naval as he pulled the pants all the way down, only leaving my boxers on me. I thought he'd keep going, but instead, he got up, taking in the sight that he'd created.

That pissed me off. Why the hell was he treating me like some sort of prize, or possession? I scowled deeper, only to receive a snigger from his direction as he slipped off his own clothes quickly, then crawled so he was directly above me. "That scowl is the cutest thing about you, Kida-kun~ Your glares, all your insults, they're so amusing." The heat hadn't disappeared from my face, but it seemed to only increase as he hovered his lips only an inch away from mind, his warm breath on my face.

His eyes; they still looked the same. I wondered how I looked, and thinking of that, I automatically felt a wave of embarrassment go through me. I probably looked pretty pathetic right now, didn't I? Being pinned under Orihara, blushing, breathing deeply; I most likely looked hot and bothered.

Biting the inside of my lip, I was about to go against what I'd promised myself that I wouldn't do - hurt him - when I felt his lips lower to my neck, kissing it and finally taking in some skin and biting, sucking, biting, sucking, each in turn until I shuddered every time.

He did this about three times, all on different parts of my torso, before looking down in satisfaction and pulling my boxers off in one quick motion. Suddenly I felt very, very exposed. Damn, wouldn't anyone? I wanted to make a move to cover myself, but the covers were tucked in, and if I made that much of an effort he'd spot it right away and shut it down.

I watched as little bits of light danced in my vision, but this time, it wasn't my own madness kicking it, it was just from me getting so flustered over the whole...situation. I heard him tsk, and watched as he looked up to me, a grin on his face as he poked my cheek. "Masaomi-kun, open your mouth~" Wait, did he just call me by my first name? When did he ever -

My own thinking process was cut off as I felt my mouth open slightly and he shoved two fingers in. Giving a small groan in dissatisfaction, but following what he probably wanted, I licked them over hesitantly. After a few moments he pulled them out, a string of saliva still connected to them before he opened and closed them once while smirking. Without a word, he lowered them, and I felt them poke at my entrance before entering forcefully.

The groan had come out before I could hold it back, and I lowered my hands and gripped the sheets next to me quickly. It was painful. However, when he moved to this certain spot, this sudden burst of color danced in my vision as I moaned loudly. I heard him snort, satisfied, as he got back on me and grabbed my legs, pulling them onto his shoulders.

I couldn't look at him anymore, I didn't want to imagine being in his place, seeing me like this; I felt so terrible. My heart felt like it was about to shoot out of my chest as he pushed his member against it instead of his fingers. This would hurt even more, I knew it.

I wanted to scream at him to stop. I wanted to push him off, to yank myself away, but for some reason I didn't. Call it either helplessness or his pure ability to make me give in. I won't consider anything other than him being at fault.

Quickly, he shoved into me, causing me to moan once again loudly before I brought up a hand and bit on it, hard, to keep from doing it again. I hated seeing that satisfied smirk on his face. I couldn't stop myself by simply closing my mouth, though. It would come through as a hum, though, but at least it was better than screaming so half the hotel could hear me.

He wasn't feeling much sympathy, it seemed, as he had already started thrusting in and out slowly. Painfully slow; it wasn't enough, he wasn't hitting that spot, the one that made this all worth it. I felt my body shudder, my dick throbbing, but I wasn't willing to tell him what I wanted. I'd look terrible. Submissive. I couldn't.

"Masaomi-kun, you look as though you want something~" I frowned, as much as I could as I was biting down on my hand, still. I murmured.

"Hm?"

"…H-Harder, ple-ahh-ase…"

"Say it again, this time, with my name~"

"…H-Harder, Orihara!"

"That's not my name~!"

I groaned as he pulled in and out quickly, then back to slowly. I'd felt him on the edge of that spot, he was missing it intentionally. Fighting internally, I finally broke down. I felt a snarl crease across my face as I yelled, "P-Please, fuck me, Izaya!"

He followed through with his promise. His thrusts became quicker and quicker, and he started hitting that spot, over and over again. I quickly shoved my hand back into my mouth, but that didn't stop me from making a considerable amount of noise.

"I want to hear you, Masaomi-kun~" With that, he yanked my hand out of my mouth and hit the spot harder than he ever had before, making me arch my back and moan loudly. Fuck. Fuck. I hated him.

This continued for a good two minutes or more, and I found myself surprised that I was able to last this long. There was searing pain every so often, either from him gripping harder on me or not hitting the right area.

He fucking loved hurting me. Other than these thoughts, I was purely in a daze. Thoughtless. Unable to say a word as he kept going, moans seeming to be the only vocabulary I could dish out right now.

A few moments passed, and I could somewhat tell that he was almost off the edge. I seemed to be correct in that thinking, as a few thrusts later, he came inside of me.

I followed suit, but my hands still remained on the bed. I shuddered, and kept shuddering, as he sniggered in my ear. "Now you're mine, Masaomi-kun~"

* * *

I had a dreamless night, and nothing came to me in the waking hours. I was sprawled on my bed, the covers over me, and my clothes were piled on the desk. At least, that's what I observed as I sat there blinking, wondering what the hell had happened.

Orihara and me had sex.

Orihara and me.

Had…sex.

I felt my hands twitch in anger as I sprung up, only to feel a spiking pain from my abdomen. I yelped and got the pressure off that area, half-sitting, half-laying down on the bed. Right. It wasn't a dream, I couldn't fucking sit up.

God, I hate everything.

I collapsed back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering just what this made me. A whore? I had sex with him for information, isn't that like doing it for money?

…Yeah, I'm terrible at making myself feel better about this.

I was about to start complaining aloud when I saw a note on the nightstand. Blinking, I grabbed it, thinking it was the note from Mikado. It was, but along with it was a handwritten note from Iza-Orihara.

"_Remember, Masaomi-kun; love is only a dirty trick played on us to achieve continuation of the species."_

I crumpled the note and threw it at the TV angrily, feeling a faint, mad flush go over my cheeks. "Like hell I'm going to even fall in love with you, you bastard."

* * *

A/N; I promised to myself I would make a smut chapter for you guys soon, since I have this fic clearly rated as M. So, uhm, here you go~ I'm just terrible with writing this sort of thing, I always get all flustered and skjfdssdlfks, y'know? But yeah, I hope it was decent!


	6. Of Mistletoes and Missiletalk

After the situation with me waking up to a searing pain in my lower area, I decided to sleep for the remainder of the day. If the informant was smart, he wouldn't visit me. Though who knows, he could be that sadistically idiotic and prance in anytime.

I woke up again around six o'clock, surprised as to how long I'd slept. I truly didn't think I was that tired, but according to the amount of sleep I'd gotten over the past few days, I was exhausted.

Feet finding their way out of the covers, I was about to get up when I heard a knock echo through the room. I blinked. Then frowned.

It was obviously that goddamn infor -

"Kida? Kida, are you all right?"

…It was Granny.

Giving a sigh in relief, I quickly grabbed my boxers and put them on before walking over to the door. I opened it and managed a smile. She didn't seem to affected by my lack of clothes other than underwear, which was expected. She wasn't concerned about that kind of thing and she didn't let it get to her.

"I'm fine, I just woke up with a fever this morning and I didn't feel well," I lied, managing a sheepish smile.

She gave a little "tut tut" sound before patting my chest, smiling herself. "Ahh, I don't want my little worker Kida getting sick. You rest for the remainder of the night, I'll take care of the guests."

"That'd be wonderful."

"You get some rest, now. So long!" With that, she waddled off, and I waved her goodbye before closing the door again. She always had this ability to make me feel a bit better, even if she had no word of assurance or consoling for me for what I was going through right now.

Seeing as though I wasn't tired, I decided it was high time that I go out on my own again. Though I guess, since my stomach was turning over in anguish due to the emptiness inside, I would have to go somewhere to eat before anything else.

I dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt with a black jacket over it, and a yellow wristband. Obviously, at the time, I didn't give much for what I was wearing. I'd gotten rid of everything yellow, save for a few things like this wristband, seeing as though it wasn't as bad as anything else.

I strolled outside and headed for the town. I tried to remember back to what the letter said last night, the one that Mikado wrote to me. "I should probably be on the look out for any Blue Squares or Yellow Scarves," I murmured, rubbing the back of my head while looking around. There weren't any in my vision of sight, though I suppose when I got to the food place, I might see some hanging outside.

I walked into the fast food place they had here, though it wasn't a big commercial one, it was one of the local's specialties. I never cared to remember the name, though. They didn't advertise too much, but they had good food for a fast food company.

I ordered a simple burger and fries, and after obtaining my food I went to go sit by one of the windows. This would give me a clear sight of everyone outside. It made me feel a bit weird; creepy, if anything, but it was necessary.

Sipping at the pop, I got my first sight of someone in a certain color a few minutes into my watch. Well, not just "someone", a group of people.

There was about seven people walking down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the road. All of them were wearing something large and yellow; scarves, headbands, hats, shirts, pants even. You could see that other people were looking at them with sour expressions.

I let my eyes wander the sour-looking people. There I saw the other group; a trio of blue, sitting on the corner of the street, glaring at the people walking across the street.

Okay, time to try to remember back to the map. What was this place? I looked over at the street signs. 42nd. Samton. The intersection between those two.

It was a boundary; the middle of the street the line between two groups. I realized then, at that moment, that I was in Blue Squares territory. It would've worried me if it wasn't for me not being a recognized member as of yet.

Still, I felt a bit of apprehension as I finished the burger.

Time passed and I saw the same things happen. Though I was surprised as to how many there were; damn, he wasn't kidding when he said this was the main hub in America, they were everywhere. Why hadn't I noticed them before? You would've thought that color gangs would've sparked my interest immediately.

I left the shop after finishing my food, heading toward the hotel. I tried to remember back to the map again, trying to think of where the boundary lines were at. They used obvious markings for it, so if I could just get a map, I'd be able to make my own one based off memory.

That's when things didn't go the way I planned.

I was walking by a group of Blue Squares; they seemed to have their attention on something else, so I was intent on just shuffling past without bringing any attention to myself. When I was about a step away from them, past them, I felt a sense of relief.

Said sense of relief was shattered in a matter of time, however.

"Hey, kid! Wait a second."

Shit shit shit shit shit.

I pondered running, though decided to turn around anyways, seeing as though the hotel was only about a hundred meters from me. I stared up at them; Americans were always taller, and these guys were exceptional to the stereotype.

"You, uh…Y'look like good material fer the Blue Squares, eh?" The accent they had was almost too thick for me to understand, but I knew what they were saying.

"A-Ah, no, I'm not that strong, and frankly I'm one for peace," I gave a laugh, but even now I could hear it tinged with nervousness.

One of them laughed in response, shoving his hands in his pockets while walking up to me, looking from my feet to my face while smirking. He was a bit scrawny, but looked powerful enough to knock me out in a punch. "Aww, man, we're plenty peaceful! What, ya think we're a bunch'a hooligans or whatever? How old're ya, fifty?" He guffawed, and I found a frown tingling at the side of my lips.

I had to hold back. No matter how much they reminded me of that fight, of all those fights, of Saki, I had to hold back.

Waving my hands, I shook my head. "No, no, I wasn't…I didn't mean anything like that! I just don't have time, I'm a busy guy~"

For the first time since they started speaking to me, they weren't staring at my face. Instead, they were lower. I followed their gaze to my wrist.

Oh God. My wristband.

One of them scoffed, then the scrawny one gaited up to me while pinning me against the wall, glaring with an intensity I never thought possible for him. "Yer just a newbie Yellow freak, aren'tcha? Didn't yer boss ever tell you that this is Blue Squares territory? You're deep innit, too. Jeesh, wonder how that happened."

I found my heart start to race, though the insistence of a boss made me curious. "Boss?"

"Yeah, yer boss! Don't tell me you 'aven't met him!"

"And you have?"

I saw the guy pause, then chuckle a bit before looking at his friends before back to me. "No, but we've 'eard of him. He's a kid, 'bout your age too. Japanese. Created it in Tokyo n'shit; apparently he's been on the run for quite some time. Name's Kida or something."

My eyes widened. They still knew about me? Who the hell would be able to spread that kind of thi - …Oh, hell. I knew exactly who was capable of that sort of thing.

That goddamn bastard. Orihara.

"Interesting. Now can I go?" I gave an impatient glare to them, which sent them in a howling mess of laughter.

"The kid wants to go!" The scrawny guy laughed, then took out a switchblade from his pocket and pressed the dull edge against my throat. "Try again, ya little bitch. Gotta remember the rules, y'know? Cross on Blue Squares territory, we beatcha to a bloody pulp." He cackled, then pressed it harder against my skin. It still sent shivers up my spine, even if it was the dull side.

"Doesn't that sound like fun, kid?"

I gulped, refusing to say anything. He gave a small 'tch' in frustration, then pulled the knife away and grabbed me by the jacket before throwing me down on the ground. I felt the wind get knocked out of me at the blow, then I felt my arms get pinned down to the ground. He was standing above me, and at such a position that I couldn't kick him off.

I felt a growl rise up in my throat as his smirk widened, then he lowered himself down and grabbed me by the hair, pulling my head up. "Go tell yer little Yella' friends that they aren't welcome here anymore."

With that, he smashed my head against the sidewalk. Everything after that was dark.

* * *

I don't know how long I'd been knocked out, but when I finally came to, the sound of beeping made me cringe. It was a heart monitor. Fuck, I hated that noise. It was always in every single one of my episodes, and it was paired with the worst feelings in the world.

It took a bit, but I found myself gaining focus on what was around me. I was in a hospital. There were bandages around most of my body, though I was mobile. Nothing was broken. Everything just hurt.

My head hurt like hell, and I couldn't see out of my left eye. It was bandaged over as well.

I glanced over to the right, seeing a little stand with flowers on it, and a card. Debating on whether or not my arm was mobile, I reached for it, finding only a bit of pain go through my opposite side.

On it was your stereotypical "Get well soon!" message, and on the back there was a scrawl, which I identified immediately as Granny's handwriting.

_I hope these flowers brighten up your room as much as they can, since I'm not there to make you feel better. Mr. Orihara is coming over to tell you what happened, since I'm very busy today. I just hope you're all right._

_- Granny._

I let a small smile appear on my lips, though soon it faded when I remembered that Orihara would be coming to tell me what happened.

It seemed on cue that the door opened, and there he stood, looking amusingly at my bandaged form.

I glared at him as he walked up, clicking his tongue as he stared at me. "Oh, Masaomi-kun, who knew you'd get yourself in _this _sort of trouble again~"

God, I wish he would shut up. I let my eyes travel to the window, not attempting to speak a word.

"I suppose you're curious as to who found you, and what happened to you, right? Ah, well, I guess I could just be the bearer of news for you, seeing as though the hospital is quite busy right now~" He grabbed a chair, scooting it over to the side of the bed while smirking all the while.

"I was on the hunt for you, actually. You weren't in your room and I was worried! So, I went out toward the town, and what did I luckily spot, slumped over in an alley way? You!" He snickered. "You were there, bloody and immobile, and I thought that you might've been dead. You were barely alive; if I hadn't shown up, you'd be crow meat~"

To think that the informant of all people saved my life…I looked over at him, this time with a bit more curiosity than annoyance tinting my glare. "So why exactly did you save me? So you could use me and spark some sort of war here, too?"

Orihara laughed, resting his cheek in his palm. "Don't you remember what I said last night?"

No, bastard, I don't want to remember last night.

His face turned serious, which was quite a shock to me. "I said that you were mine, Masaomi-kun. No one else can touch you. If someone does, well, punishment obviously has to follow suit~" The dark-haired informant's expression went from serious to curious as he tapped his cheek. "I wonder how far down a river those men are right now!"

I felt my eyes widen. He'd…gotten someone to kill them? Why was he so protective? Why was he so insistent that no one else touch me?

I felt my stomach twist as I stared back down at the bed, trying to gather my thoughts. It scared me. I was so okay with this, and the feeling I got from it wasn't natural. It wasn't something I ever wanted to feel with Orihara.

He leaned forward, cupping my chin lightly. My eyes slowly traveled from his hand to his face, where an amused expression was still prominent. "Are you so taken aback that you have nothing to say? How cute, tch~" With that he gave my lips a little peck before letting go, getting up and stretching. I could tell; there was probably a faint flush tinting my cheeks as he did so.

"Well, I'd love to keep chatting with Masaomi-kun, but I have things to do~ Just rest; all you have are a lot of bruises and cuts, and they should be okay within a few days. I'll see you then." He grinned, then walked out of the room without a word.

As he left, I decided to think about things. I would have to try things over again, start from the beginning.

Orihara arrived in this town, for what reason was unclear at first.

His goal while I was in Ikebukuro seemed to be to rile up everyone to cause fights. For whatever reason, it was also unclear. But I knew he liked sparking feuds.

I live in a town in the midst of a gang war. Yellow Scarves versus Blue Squares. The Yellow Scarves recognize me as their leader still.

Orihara was treating me differently. Not as a pawn, but as a higher valued playing piece. He wanted me alive. He wanted me here, and he wanted me going.

He wanted to be the chess master, and he wanted me to be his colored king.

He would do such a thing with Ikebukuro, too. Though with me leaving, those plans were working. So he had to have this thought process, to move somewhere that he'd be able to manipulate someone to do the same. The bastard informant somehow found out I was here; alive, and well.

Orihara came to this town wanting nothing more than to cause a war.

* * *

A/N; Finally, Izaya's intents were revealed! I'm excited for these next few chapters, this is where things get action-y and interesting. ;3 Sorry that I'm a bit spotty with updates, but it's nearing the end of the school year. I'm hoping to finish this before June, so expect updates over these next two months for the remainder of the fic!

Reviews are, as always, appreciated.


	7. Voyeurs of War

It was around three days after I was released from the hospital I was being kept at. Orihara didn't visit me again; it was Granny the whole time, bringing me flowers each day, talking to me, assuring that I would be okay as if I was assured I would die from a few bruises and cuts.

I think she was assuring herself more than anything.

I still had to check in to replace my bandages every day, otherwise they allowed me to go. I had a need to; I needed to figure out exactly what the hell these two gangs were doing, and I needed to figure out now. I mean, it was obvious from a distance; fighting, rivalry.

But who was pushing them to do this? Orihara couldn't be the one doing this all on his own; he had to have been manipulating people to do his bidding. Who those people were, well, I needed to figure out.

As I walked out of the hospital after they re-bandaged my body (luckily, I'd been requiring less and less, and now I was only restricted to some around my stomach because they were taking a while to heal), I found myself in need of visiting Orihara, or at least to ask him questions.

I mean, he'd moved here for the purpose of manipulation, he had to know _something _about the wars that he'd be willing to reveal to me.

With, of course, a little bit of "payment". Which I'd be willing to go to if I had to. It sucks how much I've come to terms with that sort of thing. I mean, if I was in my right mind, I wouldn't let Orihara touch me like that and -

Okay, no more thinking about that kind of thing. I had to refuse control this time now that I knew it was what he was planning.

There was no way he had feelings for me.

Shaking my head, I walked on the border between the gangs, pulling out my phone. Wondering for only a moment if he'd changed his number, I speed-dialed his number, holding the phone up to my ear.

What wasn't expected was the robotic voice indicating that he wasn't at the phone. I found my teeth grit slightly before shoving the phone back into my pocket. Damn that bastard, he was either asleep, busy, or ignoring me.

And if he was ignoring me, well. He was waiting for me to do something impulsive, something that I would come to on my own terms. The scary part was, I had no idea what that could've been.

I tried traveling in the neutral zones in the city as best I could. If I was unlucky, the Blue Squares would've shared my face and information around. If I was lucky, no one would have any idea I'd been beaten to a pulp a few days ago.

I played on that luck and ventured into the Blue Squares territory, deciding to hang out at a coffee shop where the majority of it was them. Sitting in a corner after ordering a simple coffee, my ears focused in and out of conversations, until I found a particularly interesting one a few feet away from me.

A pair of girls - who, if they hadn't been wearing blue, I probably would've found myself flirting with - were sitting at a table a few feet away from me, discussing something heated. I was able to pick up parts of the conversation.

"But he can't be serious … fighting … pushing them so much, it's a suicide mission!"

"Our leader … violent … tomorrow."

Leader? I narrowed my eyes slightly, finding my fingers starting to trace the creases in the cup as I listened more intently, now picking up their exact conversation.

"I have a feeling that Jacobs is just trying to provoke fights. I mean, wouldn't it be easier if we just stayed quiet, not so frictional with those yellow bastards?"

"I think she just wants to fight. Maybe her and their leader have some sort of personal feud."

"I thought their leader wasn't here in America … ?"

"Apparently they have a new leader. Some guy named Jin. I overheard Angelina talking about how he's been pushing them to fight more and more. Even getting caught up in illegal stuff like drug trafficking."

"Hah, maybe all those yellow pricks are just gonna get arrested, we don't gotta worry about it!"

"Tch, hopefully. C'mon, let's go."

With that, the girls got up from their spot, throwing their empty cups into the garbage can. I stared after them, finding myself utterly confused.

So, for some reason, there were people rising up in each gang trying to take charge?

My still halfway full cup crumpled in my grasp, but my tightening of my grip was more in success than frustration.

I'd found exactly who to pursue.

* * *

"That bastard!"

Growling, I dialed his number one more time, hoping to have some sort of advance within these few calls. I could only expect the robotic voice, telling me for the fifth time that the person I was calling was unavailable.

This was a bunch of bullshit, he was ignoring me.

I stormed over to the hotel, passing by various, concerned pedestrians who seemed to be concerned for my muttering, angry wellbeing.

I'd finally made it to his hotel room, and I knocked on the door, loudly. "Oi, you asshole, open up this door before I kill you!"

What happened? Nothing, of fucking course.

My glare remained on the door for a few moments before I rushed down the hall, grabbing the extra set of keys for his room. Running back up, I shoved the key in, opening the door with a rush. "I had no choice but to barge in here, Ori -"

This man, around his late fifties, was staring at me with utmost fear in his expression. My eyes widened. I looked at the door; it was the right room, I was a hundred-percent sure.

"O-Oh, do you possibly have the wrong room?" I glanced back over to the old man, who was now looking at me with a concerned expression. I opened my mouth, closed it, then opened it again. What was I supposed to say?

My stomach flipped as I straightened my form, nodding. "Y-Yeah, it was the next one down. Sorry for interrupting you, I'll have a care package sent here to make up for my intrusion." Feigning a smile the best I could, I rushed out of that room.

Where was Granny? She would know if he headed out somewhere. He was supposed to say here for another week, so where the hell was he?

I found her in the kitchens, cleaning up the last of the dishes. "Granny! Oi, Granny!"

She jumped, then looked over at me and held her heart, chuckling worriedly. "Ahh, Kida, you scared me there!"

"Sorry, but, uh. When did Orihara check out?"

She blinked at me curiously. "This morning."

I tried to find some sort of kidding look on her face, or something like that, but she just looked at me worriedly. "Did .. Did he say anything about leaving? Anything at all?"

"He just checked out. He didn't seem unusual or anything. In fact, he looked quite chipper!"

I felt my brow furrow apprehensively, and my stomach was once again doing flips like an acrobatic. "W-Where was he going?"

She shook her head, looking back at her dishes. "He didn't say. I'm sorry I'm not much help, Kida."

"It's…okay, I'll find out on my own."

Quickly, I stormed out of the kitchen, afraid of breaking down in front of her. Instead, I broke down in my room, falling on my bed, curling up against the pillow.

Why was I crying? Why did I feel so alone, at that moment? Why did I feel so hopeless, so let go, so damaged?

Why the hell was he getting to me so much? Why did I care about him so much?

I hate Orihara. No. I hated Orihara. Now I'm not too sure. I don't know anymore.

Sleep claimed me slowly, into a dreamless slumber that I wished I could awaken from.

* * *

How lucky was I that I found a perfectly good store for buying plain cloth? Especially in the yellow that I was looking for?

Funny. It's funny. Things are working out so well for me right now.

Though I can't help but hate myself when I look in the mirror, seeing a halfway-broken middle school me staring back at me.

I fitted on the white hoodie I hadn't worn in forever due to the weather dropping down to a mild forty degrees, and with the night air and winds, it would seem even colder. Dark jeans, a pair of leather shoes, and my yellow scarf tied around my neck, I was definitely ready.

My head was blank as I strolled into the Yellow Scarves territory without a care, pulling the scarf off and hiding it in my back pocket. No, I needed to come in seemingly neutral.

The first person who found me was this seemingly young boy, but from his intelligence and usage of words, I think he was at least fifteen or sixteen.

"Take me to Jin. I'm interested in joining."

He seemed hesitant at first, but something pushed him to take me deep into the territory. There were plenty of stares; even more as I walked into the abandoned warehouse where they met, seeing at the end of the hall a raised platform and a set of chairs.

How strange, it looked a lot like my old base.

The boy tried keeping me back from approaching the man directly, but I walked up to the platform without a second glance back, shoving my hand in my pockets and staring at the turned chair where he was apparently seated with a few colleagues.

"Yo, I'm here to speak with Jin."

The man turned, and I could see from his face that he had experience with fighting. Standing up, his strong stature, his intimidating aura, it was all very leader-like. No wonder he had ease in taking control of the gang.

Jin seemed almost amused by my presence. I was a good foot shorter than him, but I hoped I'd given off enough of an aura that he understood my position.

"Talk to me, then."

"Alone."

He guffawed, looking around. "You think I'm going to take that chance?"

"I expect you won't be afraid of talking to someone like me alone." I chuckled, looking to the side. "Does it look like I can do much damage?"

He seemed to ponder that for a few moments before sending off the men he was talking to. I watched as they left, then he gestured for me to sit down. I did so, finding myself slumping over and resting my elbows on my knees.

"So, what'd you want, kid?"

"I have a name, and y'know, it'd be pretty nice if you could call me by that."

The man scoffed while leaning his head back, then stated, "Can't do that if I don't know ya."

"Name's Masaomi Kida."

I could hear the gasp of recognition as I looked up at him. His face was contorted with surprise, and then a bit of worry that was feigned poorly over with admiration. "Oh, I recognize that name. But there's no way you're the Kida I'm thinking o -"

"I'm that exact person," I voiced, coldly, looking up at him with disinterest.

He looked like a gaping fish for a few moments before he chuckled, and I could hear nervous-ness dripping off every breath. "What'cha doin' here, Kida?"

"I'm here to regain my position as the General of the Yellow Scarves. Which means taking your position, Jin."

His smile faltered as he rubbed the back of his head, glancing off. "Well, I dunno, I -"

"I suggest you agree."

"What if I don't?"

Jin's face contorted into cockiness, but I could see it quickly drip off as I pulled a switchblade out of my back pocket, holding it up to his cheek. "Then you'll have another scar on that face of yours. I suggest you allow me power."

His dark eyes flickered from the knife to my face. I didn't think that a man like that could get intimidated, but he seemed like he was. Very much so. He waved a hand, anxiously smiling. "Okay, okay, I understand, General!"

I found a satisfied smile slip across my face as I drew back the switchblade, pulling out the scarf from my back pocket and tying it around my neck. "I'm glad we agree. It's a pleasure, Jin."

With that, I headed for the door, where I could already here the mutters of people outside, waiting for one of us to reveal themselves. I opened the door, giving an indifferent glance to the sea of yellow that filled the area around me in a semi-circle.

I don't know what was starting to take over me at this moment. I rose a hand to quiet them, then felt my knees push up, giving me a stance of power. "I'm your new General. Or, rather, I'm your old one, gaining back power. I'm Masaomi Kida, the true leader."

I could see the shock pour through the crowd. Amusing. "I've come to power for one purpose."

This is what Orihara wanted. He wanted me to do this. I'd do what he wanted. Anything for him to show up again. Please, please, please.

I would get him back to me. I needed him back here.

I needed to help him start a war.

No matter how much I hated doing so.

"We're going to rid this city of Blue Squares."

Come for me, Orihara.

Here's your war.

* * *

A/N; And now, here's where the action starts. I'm sorry for not updating sooner, I had an unexpected turn of events when my spring break was canceled, but I skipped school and decided to write this out.

Hope you enjoyed it~


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